Jewelry-box.



A. R. RIDLEY.

JEWELRY BOX.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-16,1916.

Patented July 17, 1917.

' Q9 INVENTOR WITNESSES F I :3 fii: 5 BY fidwmwm.

ATTORN EY UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

fatrnnn n. RIDLEY, or ASTORIA. onneon, ASSIGNOR or ONEJIALF 'ro ALBERT m. GRAVES, or asrronm, OREGON.

JEWELRY-BOX.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, ALFRED R. RIDLEY, a citizen of the ['nited States, residing at Astoria, in the county of Clatsop and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Jewelry-Box, of which the following .is a specification.

This invention relates to jewelry boxes, and more particularly to a box for containing jewelry which is made so as to closely resemble a book and is proided with secret locking means. The main object is to providea box or case of the-character stated of snnple construction and neat appearance, and which may be produced at relatively small cost. Further objects will appear from the detail description.

In the drawings:

F igure' 1 is a perspective front view of the invention,

Fig. :2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a side view of the box with one of the covers removed and the back block spaced from the body of the box so as to illustrate more clearly the locking means.

body portion is composed of the front bar 1,

the end bars 2 and 3, and back bar 4. The end bars 2 and 3 and the front bar 1 are secured together at their-adjacent ends by a.

miter joint, as at 1. The front or outer face of front bar 1 is concave, as at 1" 1n the same manner as the leaves of a. book are arranged. By properly coloring the end bars 2 and 3 and the front barthese: members may be made to closely resemble a book in closed position, and the miter joints If at the inner corners of this structure are practically invisible.

The front bar 1 and end bars 2 and 3 are provided in their inner faces with spaced grooves 5. These grooves extend the full length of the bars and form rectangular laterally disposed channels. One of these channels is adapted to snugly receive a peripheral tongue 6 formed integrally with, and extending about the front and ends of a Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. l is a perspective view of the back cover 7 which may be formed of wood or any other suitable material. This tongue fits snugly within the channel so as to prevent either lateral or forward movement of the cover. The cover ,7 is furtherprovided, ad

Jacent the tongue 6, with a channel extend"- ing about its front and ends which is adapted to snugly receive the tongues 5 projecting inward from the :body of the box which is composed of the bals 1, 2, 3, and 4. This establishes a double tongue and groove c011- nection between the body of the box and the cover whereby the cover is secured firmly against movement in any direction other than toward the rear of the box, and this connection is absolutely invisible from the outside of. the box. A bottom 8 is similarly Patented July 17, 1917. Application filed October 16, 1916. Serial No. 125.987. 7 V

longitudinally extending dove-tail recess 10. This recess tapers or increases in depth toward one end of the bar 4. A back block 11 is provided with a dovetail lug 12- which corresponds in size and shape to the recess 10 and is adapted to be inserted into the same' by sliding block 11 longitudinally of bar 4. As the block is slid on to the bar the lug 12 is brought into engagement with the recess 11 and acts to force the back block-into tight frictional engagement with the back edges of the cover 7 and bottom 8. This will be clear in Fig. 2 of the drawings, in which the back block is shown as of the same width as the cover 7 and bottom 8 and thebody of the box.

With the back block 11 in operative position, the cover -7 and bottom 8' will be held firmly secured in the body of the box and cannot possibly be removed therefrom. By removing the backblock either the cover or the bottom, or both, may be slid out of the body of the box as will be evident.

In order to make the box more closely resemble a book, I provide the cover 7 and bottom 8 with a cover 13 of leather, or other suitable material, similar to a book binding. The block 11 is also provided with a similar covering 14.: and is convexed to resemble the shape of the back of a book. The ends of block 11 may also be concave, as at 15. to represent the usual binding extending slightly above the ends of the leaves of a book.

\Vheu the box is assembled it closely resembles a book, and cannot be opened except by some one who understands its construction and operation. This box provides. for

this reason, a very ellicient secret receptacle for jewelry and other valuables.

There may be slight changes made in the construction 1nd arrangement of the various parts of my invention without in any way departing from the field and scope of the same. and I intend to include all such variations as fall within the scope of the appended claim in this application in which a preferred form only of my invention is disclosed.

'hat I claim is:

In a jewelry box, the combination of a body composed of front, end, and back bars, the front and end bars of said body being each provided in its inner face with a pair of spaced grooves extending the full length thereof. the grooves of the said bars being in the same planes, the back bar of the body being positioned between the end bars and within the space between the grooves thereof, said back bar being further provided with a longitudinally extending tapering dovetailed reces a bottom and a cover each provided with a peripheral tongue and a groove adjacent thereto whereby said bottom and cover are slidably connected to the body so as to be slidable rearward thereof only. and a back block provided with an integral lug corres mnding in shape and size to the recess of the back bar of the body, said block being of such width as to engage the back edges of the bottom and cover when secured to the back bar of the body so as to prevent movement thereof.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALF R l: D R. R I D LE Y. \Yitnesses:

B. S. ELorsox, \V. B. LUXD. 

